I am planning to have my house painted in the spring. One of the local painting contractors offers a vinyl paint finish as an alternative to traditional exterior paint. It is CHIC and is referred to as a 'Liquid Vinyl Finish'. It is based on a formula developed in England for exterior painting on concrete/cinder block homes. It offers a lifetime product (as opposed to application) guarantee.
Has anyone had experience with this type of product, good or bad? I have heard of another product available in California called Rhino Shield, which I believe is similar to CHIC.

There are other factors to consider here: how long you plan to stay in this house, the cost, your location. I really doubt that there could be a product like an exterior coating for a house, that will last and last and last forever. I also don't trust "lifetime warranties"...

What I like about exterior painting is that every 7-10 years I can have a different color, at low cost.

Most paints today are a "liquid vinyl finish" anyway. Many paints available come with a lifetime or 50 year warrantee. I think that you will find that this is really just an overpriced paint job done by a "fly by nighter".

The paint, no matter how good, will only be as good as the prep work done. Get a professional or learn to do it yourself and use a top quality paint. Beware of a low bidder that may be using bargain basement paint that won't last 5 years.

Being a skeptic, I'd wait till at least 50 years has gone by with these finishes proving their worth before I'd recommend them. Why? Because I have almost never seen a paint fail- the cause of failure is almost always with what's happening under the paint, in which case neither the paint or 'vinyl finish' warranty will do you any good.

With that in mind I'd try it IF the contractor was bonded and seemed that they'd be in business 50 years from now AND they guaranteed at least a large part of the labor any needed repairs would incur for that amount of time. I doubt that you're going to find anyone who applies this 'vinyl coating' believes in the product so well that they offer these terms, but a really good paint contractor will cover their paintwork like this for many years with the only exclusions being future damage to the underlying surfaces (such as roof leakage, siding loosening, boards warping etc.)

Painting is the easy part- it's the prep-work that makes all the difference. I tell folks that it's 90% prep and 10% paint when you count the sweat generated by painting a house, and most of the time that's not far off the mark. Do the prep-work right, use a good primer and paint, and you'll get 10+ years from a paint job. You will probably get bored with the color long before the paint's shot as good as today's premium paints are!

There are other factors to consider here: how long you plan to stay in this house, the cost, your location. I really doubt that there could be a product like an exterior coating for a house, that will last and last and last forever. I also don't trust "lifetime warranties"...

What I like about exterior painting is that every 7-10 years I can have a different color, at low cost.

Good points. I plan to be in the house until I can't maintain it anymore. Probably 20-25 years. I live in Maine so wearability is important, but getting the house painted every 5-10 years may be a better option.

Most paints today are a "liquid vinyl finish" anyway. Many paints available come with a lifetime or 50 year warrantee. I think that you will find that this is really just an overpriced paint job done by a "fly by nighter".

The paint, no matter how good, will only be as good as the prep work done. Get a professional or learn to do it yourself and use a top quality paint. Beware of a low bidder that may be using bargain basement paint that won't last 5 years.

Good points - thanks.
I would do it myself, but that would take too long. I am busy painting/restoring the interior. The painter I spoke to has been around here for more than 20 years, and has done work for neighbors. But I agree about the paint job being only as good as the prep work. So a 'standard' high-end paint may be the best option, then I can plan to have it redone in whole or in parts every 5-10 years.

Being a skeptic, I'd wait till at least 50 years has gone by with these finishes proving their worth before I'd recommend them. Why? Because I have almost never seen a paint fail- the cause of failure is almost always with what's happening under the paint, in which case neither the paint or 'vinyl finish' warranty will do you any good.

With that in mind I'd try it IF the contractor was bonded and seemed that they'd be in business 50 years from now AND they guaranteed at least a large part of the labor any needed repairs would incur for that amount of time. I doubt that you're going to find anyone who applies this 'vinyl coating' believes in the product so well that they offer these terms, but a really good paint contractor will cover their paintwork like this for many years with the only exclusions being future damage to the underlying surfaces (such as roof leakage, siding loosening, boards warping etc.)

Painting is the easy part- it's the prep-work that makes all the difference. I tell folks that it's 90% prep and 10% paint when you count the sweat generated by painting a house, and most of the time that's not far off the mark. Do the prep-work right, use a good primer and paint, and you'll get 10+ years from a paint job. You will probably get bored with the color long before the paint's shot as good as today's premium paints are!

Phil

You make a compelling argument when you say wait to see if it really does last as long as they say. Apparently in England it has, but that was on a different substrate.
I agree about the prep work, and I am not averse to having the job maintained with an annual wash down, and touch-up work in those areas that get more weather-wear every few years.

Well thanks to those that have responded with sound advice. It will be interesting to see the quotes from this painter. He has done a lot of work around this town over a period of about 20 years, and has worked on one of my neighbor's house. I do plan to get quotes from another painter that worked on another neighbor's house. Will keep you all posted.